Footwear-mounted engagement methods have been used in cycling, skiing, snowboarding, rowing, and numerous other sports, to attach a user to a device for increased power and/or control.
Engagement of footwear-mounted cleats or cleat assemblies to bicycle pedals, in particular, have been notoriously difficult for a number of reasons. The cleat is mounted to the underside of a rider's shoe sole and is thus hidden from view. Likewise, the pedal assembly, being mounted to the underside of the rider's shoe sole, is also obscured from view by the shoe during the engagement process. Thus, engagement of a rider's shoe to a pedal assembly requires the rider to blindly align or engage the cleat to the pedal, relying primarily on tactile feedback and most typically while the rider is still in motion.
The tactile feedback experienced during engagement and disengagement of cleat assemblies to a pedal may change over time and use. Cleat assemblies are typically subjected to significant wear and tear during use and also when the user is simply walking around, as, the bottom most surface of the cleat assembly necessarily makes direct contact with the ground. Moreover, cleat assemblies may include multiple parts, typically made from various different materials having different material properties, which are coupled together. Over time and use, the material properties may change to alter the tactile feedback of the cleat assembly during engagement with and disengagement from the pedal.